The Scars of Switzerland
by AnaJo Skylark
Summary: You can never judge a book by its cover and for Tatyana Rybak, it was something she stood by. Everyone saw the happy, strong-willed, carefree lawyer of her building, yet deep inside, she was falling apart. Her mind was her own worst enemy. But once she finds herself in the neutral country, not only do the dreams make sense, her book is finally opened and starting to write new pages


She waited patiently. Waited for that slimy, fat bastard to make his slip like he always did. It was only a matter of time before he did, and she was banking on it.

"As you see with this documentation, my client wasn't near the home nor near this lying trollop."

Tatyana felt the woman beside her stiffen as she tried to hold back her emotions. And that was enough to set her off.

"Objection your honor, he has no right to point and call out titles as such."

"Granted." the judges nodded her way, "Miss Rybak, your defense."

"Thank you, your honor." She nodded, making her way to the front, giving a slight nod to her client as her partner rubbed her shoulders.

Squaring herself, she looked at the defendant, "You say that you weren't at the home on the twelfth of May, correct?"

"Didn't I just state that?"

"Silence." The judged narrowed his eyes at him, "Continue Miss Rybak."

"Continuing. You say you weren't there, yet the surveillance footage from the store lot across the way along with your neighbors home, which you burglarized before, has evidence of you being home that afternoon. Plus the information you had given to verify your place of work was your boss that recently was fired from the warehouse due to fraud. So please explain these findings to the court, why is all this so?"

The little weasel of a man glared at he yet stated nothing to the findings as he smirked at her, "I'm telling you I didn't do anything. I saw her the night before, we played and it got a little rough, nothing too bad."

Tatyana gestured back to her client, "Is that why she has a busted lip, a fractured hand, a black eye, and ligature marks upon her neck. And let's not forget the rape kit that was followed, proving the internal damage and your DNA."

"She was wet when we were going, I didn't rape her." he defended himself.

"That may be but the human body will protect itself. It has been found that the vaginal walls will coat in its usual lubricant to protect itself. Even during rape." she stated to the court, "So please, do tell me, what is the real truth here?"

"Objection your honor, she's harassing my client."

"Harassment is far from this. I am not holding something against him or blackmailing him, I just want the truth."

"The truth is there Rybak." he shouted at her.

There, there was his slip, slowly coming out as the defendant shook his head, "I told you the truth."

"So you say, so when the child comes and is yours, what then?"

Silence befell the room as a few murmurs lifted to her and his face scrunched in anger, "There's no kid."

"So you say." Tatyana moved away from him.

"Your honor if this is the case, Miss Rybak is withholding information from the court."

"Overruled, the proof of pregnancy was before you earlier, handed to you by the court. If you failed to read it, it's upon you. Continue Miss Rybak."

She nodded at the judge, taking her sight back to the man as she felt her client watch her, "So again, tell me the truth."

"There's no kid, I'm fixed."

"No evidence of a vasectomy. Nor are you shooting blanks for your specimen are in the local bank. Again, the truth for the courtroom."

"I didn't rape her."

"Then explain the evidence."

"I didn't-"

"Explain it."

"I'm telling you, I-"

"Still waiting."

"I didn't get my..." he paused, his story finally coming out.

"What, what didn't you get?"

His eyes searched the room, moving in a frenzy of worry and anger until he let out a frustrated sigh, "Fine. Your right. I did do that, but only because Igor was to pay me to have her raped but I never saw the money. Last I knew he even wanted her dead."

Oh hell, he just made her court case even bigger, "So, you're telling me that, Igor Chernov paid you to rape and beat his wife to death. For what cause?"

Once again he looked around before answering, "He got his secretary pregnant and wanted Lana gone before things got ugly."

Tatyana turned to face the crowded room, the facts sitting before them all, "And there you have it. No more questions."

She moved back over to her client, hearing the quiet sob leave her. It broke her heart knowing what was truth and how much she wished it was different.

Not long after, the judge read out his verdict and dismissed the room as the stain of a man was dragged off to holding.

"Why would he do that to me?" she heard her client whisper.

"I don't know darling, but know this, I'll have Ilya here take you to a local shelter and get you on your feet."

Her sad eyes looked at her as a glimmer of hope flashed behind them, "Bless you. Bless you both so much. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Tatyana felt pride in her work, seeing the woman walk away with her partner as she stood on the stone stairs. It was this life she wanted, to protect the ones that had little to no voice. Ones that couldn't defend themselves, like Lana. Kindness was all she gave people and in return for it, she was raped and beaten by the scum she gave it to. Even finding out her husband wasn't as grateful as she thought he was. She knew too well of that world, seen it too many times to avoid it truthfully.

Making her way back to her office, she tried to rid the nagging in the back of her head, the little chitter of her thoughts. She'd quell it later, alone in her apartment. Alone. How the word felt perfect to her. She was always alone. No family or friends, no real lifeline besides her work. Just herself and herself alone.

The large doors came open as the secretary within smiled at her, "Vitaju, Tatyana. Hope all went well for you."

"It did, got more on that case than we thought we would." she smiled at her, "I want her payments to be light, she has enough on her plate to worry over than a lawyers fee."

She smiled at her, "You have such a big heart, Tatya."

"I always do, Zorina, always do."

Zorina did as asked, filing papers and making her usual calls as Tatyana sat in her chair, wondering what else there was to her case. Truth was something she dug for, demanded it really from the world around her, yet she barely spoke her own.

"Tatyana." Ilya's voice brought her back to them.

"Yes?" she replied, thinking of her client, "Is she taken care of?"

"Very much Miss, but there is something we want to make you aware of, and it's not dealing with the case."

"Oh? What is it?"

"It's you." he said quietly as he handed her the papers

"What?" she stammered our, seeing the worry flash in Zorina's eyes.

She scanned over the old file, years ago of psychiatric provisions and therapies for thoughts not her own and a land that called to her in her sleep. Everything of her ugly past stood screaming at her, and making her stomach turn twice as hard.

"What is this?" Tatyana demanded.

"Your psychiatric history. And a few firms have gotten their hands on it." Ilya confessed.

"You're fucking with me?"

"We wish we were." Zorina sighed, "I looked over the papers myself to see if I was wrong. Unfortunately, I wasn't. They're trying to remove you from your position, thinking that you are mentally unfit to be where you are."

Tatyana felt her blood boil, "You're telling me, all because of a stupid psychiatric visit as a child, they want to push me out?"

"It's not just that." Ilya stayed, "It's even your current visits to the doctors and therapist. They think you are in a denial of being crazy. I mean, Zorina and I know you're not but they are trying whatever they can to prove it."

It was insane. The whole thing was insane really. Her whole livelihood survived in her being in the firm that she was and protecting the innocent people around her. How could it be?

"Look." Zorina grasper her hands, "We are the only two you truly spoke about your mind, and we don't see anything wrong with you. But maybe your dreams are trying to tell you something."

"Like what?" she spoke cooly."

Ilya patted her shoulder, "Maybe you should take a break and see why you dream of it all. To just visit the area and see what happens, maybe you'll find hidden answers that you weren't sure of."

Tatyana glances at them both. It was crazy. Totally bat shit crazy and yet at the same time, it made sense. Dreaming of three women of knowledge, Isabelle Eberhardt, Emma Jung, and Toni Wolff, and a land so foreign and beautiful that she thought it was only in her dreams. Yet now listening to the two of them, she wasn't even sure if she knew what they are fully saying.

"What are you trying to get at?" she asked, knowing she didn't want to hear the truth.

Ilya and Zorina nodded at each other and then looked at her, "Go to Switzerland and find your answers."


End file.
